The Juniper Wildlife Refuge

The Juniper Wildlife Refuge is a micro-sanctuary located in Tallahassee, Florida. Our primary focus is North American wildlife that can no longer live in the wild due to human interference or physical disabilities. Since our animals can not return to their wild roots they are invited into our home and are all treated as family.

What is a micro-sanctuary?

In most cases, sanctuaries focus on saving as many animals as possible, and we commend those sanctuaries for their tireless actions. Sanctuaries that focus on the number of lives saved are incredibly important and needed. When we began our journey to becoming a wildlife refuge, we went through a period where we quickly accumulated many animals in a short time. Each animal we took in was a wonderful triumph, and every time a new soul came through our doors, I was elated to have saved another life. But as our animal family continued to grow, I came to realize that the animals that we already housed now had to share their time, home, and resources. While our animals were never unhappy with the fast-changing circumstances of sharing their lives with others, when splitting our time, I began to see how I could quickly lose the close personal relationship that we had formed with each one.

I decided to shift our focus to prioritize the highest quality of life that we could give each animal we received and to do that we would have to limit the number of animals we took in.

At our refuge, each one of our animals is a centrical part of our family and included in our daily lives. Here we emphasize the importance of getting to know them as individuals. We believe in respecting them as wild animals and understand their needs, their behaviors, their boundaries, and strive to offer each a naturalistic enclosure where they can exhibit their wild instincts. Additionally they are also given the privilege to come indoors, to rest on our couch, to sleep in our bed, and to spend their lives knowing they are charished.

Through dedication and understanding, we strive to make a lasting impact on the lives of every animal that enters our sanctuary. By recognizing them as individuals deserving compassion and respect, we hope to inspire broader conservation efforts and change perspectives on these often misunderstood creatures.

Join us in our mission by visiting, volunteering, or donating today. Together, we can make a difference. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our supporters, volunteers, and donors who make our work possible.